Odissi Elements.. Chowka Stepings
Some thoughts of geometry and structure in Beginner lessons
As a very very novice student, some poetry and observations running in my mind. The geometry geek unfolded!
The prominent structures Chauka and Tribhangi.. Chauka is more about the solid structure, and Tribangi is about the graceful bends. Both of them very different, and yet complimenting. And Chowka Steppings and Tribangi Steppings are the beginner lessons.
Chowka in Hindi, is a small stool. Perhaps the 4 corners and 4 legs ‘chatura kona’ giving it the name Chauka.
In this Chowka stance, the two feet are paced apart at 180°, giving the legs a stable rectangular shape. Knees bent, core strong, structure and stability, marking this pose.
There are 10 stages in the Chowka lessons, and the number of feet steppings gradually increases by one in every stage. How cool is this! Chowka 1 has 1 stepping. Chowka 5 has 5 feet steppings, and Chowka 10 has 10 feet steppings.
Chowka 1 has one step, the big jumps
Chowka 2 has two steps, the right and left leg stamping in Chowka Pada
Chowka 3 has the ornate three step footwork, the vilagna-parsva-paada
Chowka 1 to 3 are the ABCs and foundation to the other moves. Chowka 1 marks the stability of the core in the strong seated foot position, and the stable hands horizontal in 90°.
In Chowka 2.. The torso gliding sidewards in opposition with the extended arm.. Action Reaction.. Like the stretching of the bow, the leftward glide by arm shoulder as the right palm rotates on the stepping of the feet!Whoa! Unseen strings of Anatomy.. Like a puppet, the eyes and chin making the pendulum swings in opposition to the torso.. Yatha hastha tatha drisTi!
In the later steppings.. Step 3 onwards, the hands circle up and down from the navel to the top of head. The palm in pataaka mudra till Chowka 6, and more ornate mudras later on. Like a tree in full blossom, the hands curved and gliding . While the main angas of pada hastha vaksha shira are engaged in chaalana, the upa-angas of heel chin brow have subtle movement giving that direction, grace and stability!
And the 4 speeds.. slow medium fast very fast.. vilambita.. madhyama.. druta.. ati druta
Going into more details.. Higher stages kind of mix and match a few basic paada-stithis. If we break it down -
Chowka where feet is seperated at 180°
VilagnaParsva steppings
Dhanu, and PrusTaDhanu, the crossed feet at 45° from the ground, the torso rotated
Brush.. the heel brushes/stamps the ground, glides up, and stays stationary in mid air for some time.
If we were to write the sequences, we get
Chowka 1: Jump
Chowka 2: Right-Left Chowka
Chowka 3: RLR VilagnaParsva
Chowka 4: RR Chowka, L PrustaDhanu, L Chowka
calls for neat alignment of feet throughout
Chowka 5 is Chowka 2 plus Chowka 3. The numbers add up and make sense right? palm rotates outward in count of 3
Chowka 5: RL Chowka[2], RLR VilagnaParsva [3]
Chowka 6: RL PrustaDhanu[1] Stamp[1].. R Brush[1]..
RLR VilagnaParsva [3]
In 2 sets of 6 and 6, hands swirl up, and then hands swirl down in semicircles waist to waist, like a clock, the chin and the eye go clockwise 6'clock to 12'clock , and descends 12' to 6'! What a beauty!
The higher Chowka sequences 6 onwards, end with the 3 steppings of VilagnaParsva. Makes it easy to remember!
Chowka 7: A beautiful anga bramari, circular rotation of the arm and head from side-back-to-position around the torso in horizontal plane. The Palm in action Mayura Hasta, the hand wrapping backward around torso.. Palm swirling twice and landing back in chowka sthithi.
Like Archimedes Screw! Like draping a saree! Like a Snail! Like a tendril of a creeper!
RL Dhanu[1] Stamp[1]
RL PrustaDhanu[1] Stamp[1]
RLR VilagnaParsva [3]
Chowka 8:
A giant-wheel like avartana pushpita in circular motion. Like the stroke of a dhol, the patAka palm swings like a pendulum from RtoL waist to waist, palm then gently assumes kaTaka-mukha and ascends like a big 2/3 arc LtoR, then descends and unfurls in ala-padma next to the waist with that side glance, completing the circle 4..4
RL Chowka [2]
RL Dhanu[2] Brush[1]
RLR VilagnaParsva [3]
And thus, the 10 Chowka steppings, along with the hand, torso, head, chin and eyes dancing in unison form the basic lessons in Odissi.
And the bhol/ukta to which dance the feet. In eka taala.. to follow
More details and Tribangi to follow in a few weeks. Yatha Hari Ichha !
A beginner student’s notes, and expression through words.. Be it thoughtworks or dance 🙏
Sanjali Odissi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYfrtX37F0w [1 to 5]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ81zbWgADk [6 to 10]
Tulika Tripathy
https://youtu.be/IsvN6gRUfd8?si=jgQSHYb6QB2-lu0H [7, 8]
https://youtu.be/qHNu-HPXEDA?si=smYy2pW3CWDa5NS4 [5, 6]
https://youtu.be/fT0NAnd2ops?si=qR6hFtxIWCLUtYYq [3, 4]
https://youtu.be/vc3SlpwZI3I?si=VD9jAkKgV4pS7pXk [1, 2]
